The sun’s rays can take a toll on your skin, from short-term sunburns to long-term consequences, even if you don’t experience a burn. When the sun prematurely ages the skin, this is called photoaging, and this can lead to skin cancer.
The damage the sun does to skin is reffered to by several names, including photoaging, photodamage, solar damage, or sun damage. It happens when ultraviolet (UV) light hits skin unprotected by sunscreen, causing DNA changes at a cellular level. Because photodamage happens in the deepest layers of the skin—the dermis—it can take years before the damage surfaces and becomes visible.
FAQs
What is sun damage?
When the sun prematurely ages the skin, this is called photoaging, and this can lead to skin cancer. Dermatologists refer to the damage the sun does to skin by several names, including photoaging, photodamage, solar damage, or sun damage.
What are the damages of the sun?
Increased risk of melanoma. Increased number of precancers, such as actinic keratosis. Worsening of rosacea. Development of seborrheic keratosis, actinic lentigines (sun spots), actinic elastosis (destruction of the skin’s elasticity by the sun) and telangiectasia (spider veins).
Can you get rid of sun damage?
While much of the damage is permanent, treatment can reduce some pigmentation that are making you look older. To treat signs of aging, we often use more than one type of treatment. This helps to treat the different signs of aging.